Red Cross speeds military notices — at what cost?

As center handles a higher percentage of calls within two hours, some cases languish

Later that month, Galvez sent out this mass directive: “Please go into ready status as soon as possible, if you’re not, to receive the next call.”

The Red Cross said such notices are used to manage calls and reduce the amount of time callers spend on hold.

“We regularly monitor quality, call volume and response time to ensure that we are achieving the proper balance between thorough casework and timely answering of calls,” Macias said.

The Watchdog has requested the Red Cross quarterly reports from the Department of Defense under the Freedom of Information Act, a process that generally takes several months.

“Our clients probably don’t know exactly what the casework process is,” Galvez said. “To a family that’s in the midst of an emergency, we definitely understand that any delay feels stressful and unnecessary.”